Residence Hall Architecture and Sense of Community

Residence Hall Architecture and Sense of Community

Everything Old Is New Again

Ann Sloan Devlin Sarah Donovan Arianne Nicolov Olivia Nold Gabrielle Zandan

Connecticut College

Environment and Behavior Volume 40 Number 4 July 2008 487-521 © 2008 Sage Publications 10.1177/0013916507301128 http://eab.sagepub.com hosted at http://online.sagepub.com

This study of almost 600 students examines the relationship between sense of community and college dormitory architecture on the campus of a small residential liberal arts college in the Northeast. Respondents of all class years completed an online survey that included the Sense of Community Index and the Relationship dimension of the University Residence Environment Scale. Students also rated architectural characteristics about their dorms and provided background information. Results indicate significant differences in sense of community related to dormitory design, in particular a lower sense of community in dorms that are organized around clusters or suites. At the same time, these units in clusters are judged to be more positive in terms of basic architectural components, including thermal comfort, adequacy of bathrooms, and storage. Results are discussed in terms of recommendations to enhance a sense of community through design. Keywords: residence hall design; sense of community; college students

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he relationship of the architecture of residence halls to a variety of variables, from perceptions of crowding to student satisfaction, is one of many research topics that seem to surge and recede in interest. A number of studies examining college residence halls were conducted in the 1970s, yet

Authors’ Note: Thanks to John Nugent for his assistance in sending out the online survey and to Stuart Vyse and David Milstone for commenting on a draft of this article. Order of authorship following the lead author is alphabetical. Please address all correspondence to Ann Sloan Devlin, Box 5448, Connecticut College,...